Prowler (Aegloshian)
The Prowler Brood (Plural), or simply "Prowler", is the most basic Frigate-Equivalent utilized by the Aegloshian Norozu. They are scientifically known as the "Venandinubes" (Hunter Cloud). __ToC__ Appearance The Prowler is one of the hardest Aerozu Spawns to visually detect due to its natural colouration; notably being absolutely covered with angular, sharp black carapace. Although it is bio-luminescent, it only serves to make it even more difficult to visually detect them as they'd look flush against the stars in space. The head of the Prowler resembles that of a bird, with the beak covering the entire "face" of it like a mask. There are 2 openings in the "mask"; powerful, red eyes peering through. Similarly large Carapace Plating is present throughout the body such as on top and at the sides of the "stomach" area. Jutting out from its stomach is also a large armoured fin. The hind area is similarly plated with little deviation, although the actual back has the only true unarmoured part of the Prowler; two massive tentacles which serve as its propulsion. In terms of size the Prowler is the smallest "proper" Bioship the Norozu has, being smaller than the Heracles by quite a large margin. While actual measurements is unknown, rough estimates place the Prowler at ~600 meters long (Discounting its tentacles). When in combat, two medium-sized Carapace Plates can open up slightly to reveal 8 tubes which each fire black missiles which cannot normally be seen by the naked eye. The largest plate on top of the mask-section of its head could also tilt up slightly to reveal one massive biological cannon, firing a massive green beam at its target. Anatomy The Prowler much like its brethren has multiple redundant systems. In the Prowler's case, it has 92 Hearts and doesn't require oxygen and therefore has no need for personal lungs. The lungs that are present are for sustaining whatever ground forces that may or may not be present in its internal sac. First and foremost, the Prowler is a Light Patrol Frigate and its design and purpose reflects that. The numerous armoured plating of the Prowler ensures that even with its relatively small size, it is able to take copious amount of damage without taking any fatal injuries. Due to its density, the carapace being black alongside the fact that there are small tubes which generate light (Which is part of an advanced vision system that allows it to see everywhere at once without having dedicated eyes) makes it practically invisible to eyesight as it perfectly blends into the night skies. In addition, to further its stealth capabilities, the Prowler has evolved a large fin on its stomach-side that is able to intercept and absorb most waves of the Electromagnetic spectrum; effectively making it invisible to advanced Radars and other detection methods. The waves sent out by the enemy also assist in the Prowler's targeting as the Organ is able to pinpoint source locations with immense ease. The Prowler is also the first Space-Caste Aerozu with threatening "weaponry". Its most basic form of weapons are 8 Missile Launcher Equivalents that fires extremely dense "teeth" at the enemy almost like a railgun. Although relatively little, these missiles contain powerful acid which detonates upon penetrating the hull of an enemy ship in order to further damage it or to damage shields. To supplement these weapons, the Prowler also has built-in Interceptor Aerozu which can deal with enemy bombers and counter interceptors and could even deal their own damage if given the chance; mostly Drones Should these "light" armaments fail, the Prowler is able to use its most dangerous weapon stored in its back. Although many people refer to it as an Energy or Particle Beam, a more apt description would be "Acid Beam". This cannon is able to effectively melt massive swathes larger enemy ships in moments if caught unawares. The only solace to this weapon is that it needs to have the Prowler relatively close in order for it to properly use. Military Value For how basic it is to produce, the Prowler brings extreme value to the table that the ships of Humanity, or any known Alien for that matter, is simply unable to ever approach. Because of its almost free "price tag" the Prowler is noted to be in patrols of at least hundreds of thousands for the outlying, smaller contingents and up to billions upon billions for the larger contingents. In addition, because of their almost invisible presence, you would be hard pressed avoiding these patrols before it is too late. Furthermore, because of its attempts to become stealthier, the Fin it evolved also serves to disrupt enemy communications. A few hundred surrounding a planet is able to completely isolate them from the rest of the Universe no matter how many waves they attempt to output, giving the Prowler an extreme amount of utility as well. This, coupled with their internal carrier sacs, also allows them to adopt a light Carrier role as they can carry hundreds of thousands of Air/Ground Caste Aerozu with them for battlefield situations simply far too dangerous for the Heracles. However the Prowler is notably unable to produce anymore Ground Caste inside of itself, likely replaced by its ability to produce more Drones. However that isn't to say the Prowler is used purely as a Stealth Patrol Ship or an Utility Vessel; indeed, the Prowler is an extremely formidable opponent even for steward Captains of Battlecruisers. The large numbers the Prowler comes in makes any unprepared skirmish fatal and even an isolated Prowler is not to be taken lightly due to its Acid Cannon. Known Variants *Warp Type: Prowlers born Warp Organs. This allows them to travel at FTL speeds at ~1/2 the speed of a Heracles every hour or so. They can also bring others along by attaching large tentacles to their backs. *Heracles Hybrid: By fusing the Heracles Genome in place of the Prowler's weapons genetics, it is able to give ~80% of the Heracles' production and internal space while removing the Acid Cannon of the Prowler. To compensate, even more armour is placed on the Frigate. *Prime: A rare and advanced cousin of the normal Prowler. This variant replaces the smaller launchers with 2 more Acid Cannons in their place; making the total 3. In addition, these Acid Cannons are permanently visible and sticking out. This gives the Acid Cannons similar range to the Missiles. This also effectively converts the Prowler into a Glass-Cannon Destroyer; known as the Killer of Unshielded Capital Ships. Category:Akreious